In 2015, Leonid Barats, actor and one of the founders of Quartet I, decided to make radical changes in his life. He divorced his wife Anna Kasatkina after 24 years of marriage. A year later, a new love appeared in Leonid's life - a psychologist from Odessa, Anna Moiseeva. The young companion returned the forgotten feeling of happiness to the actor, but the couple is in no hurry to register their relationship officially.
Student marriage
Leonid Barats was born and raised in Odessa, was the only child in a large and friendly family. During his school years he studied music, and also actively participated in amateur performances. His loyal friend and classmate Rostislav Khait usually accompanied him on stage. They met in the first grade and since then have not parted, they even left for Moscow to enter together, firmly resolving to study only together.
Fortunately, both were enrolled in GITIS. Within the walls of this educational institution, fate brought friends with Kamil Larin and Alexander Demidov. As you know, this creative tandem is inseparable to this day. Together they created the famous theater "Quartet I", which became famous thanks to comic performances and films "Election Day", "What Men Talk About", "Radio Day".
In GITIS, Barats not only found true friends, but also met his love. Anna Kasatkina came to Moscow from Vladimir. In fact, this was her fourth attempt to enter a theater university in the capital, and in anticipation of the next enrollment of students, she played on the stage of a drama theater in her hometown. Leonid drew attention to the pretty girl during the entrance exams. Well, with the beginning of the school year, he went on the offensive.
Kasatkina recalled that the future husband looked after very nicely, even managed to carve out money from a modest scholarship for solid gifts. True, she did not immediately discern her fate in the gallant admirer, her natural distrust and caution prevented her. Well, when all doubts were left behind, the relationship began to rapidly develop towards marriage. From parental upbringing, Barats clearly made the installation that his beloved girl must be taken to the registry office, and the wife should be alone and for life.
They did not drag out the wedding, and in the third year of the institute, in 1991, Anna and Leonid signed. The wedding was celebrated in Odessa, and upon returning to the capital, the newlyweds rented a small one-room apartment. In 1993, Barats and his future colleagues in the "Quartet I" received their diplomas and began to implement a long-standing creative idea - to create their own theater. Pleasant changes have come in the family life of the young actor. In 1994, the eldest daughter Elizabeth was born to Leonid and his wife.
Family crisis and divorce
Far from immediately, but success came to Barats and his friends, prosperity appeared in the family. By that time, the actor had a second daughter, Eva (born in 2003), but relations with his wife suddenly began to deteriorate. Anna and Leonid linked their family crises with the inability to express complaints to each other, to discuss problems. Both were always closed and vulnerable by nature, used to keep everything to themselves. For Barats, the scenarios of his future performances and films, where the characters of Quartet I talk a lot about the relationship between the sexes, were an excellent way out. Through the replicas of fictional characters, he spoke out family problems and raised sensitive topics that could not be discussed with his wife in any way.
By the way, Anna also found roles in the Quartet I theater. She and Leonid did not part at work and at home for more than 20 years. Several times they overcame family crises, but by 2015 the resources for restoring relations were exhausted. The couple made a difficult decision to divorce. The children of the couple took this news very hard. The eldest daughter studied in England, and the youngest had just entered adolescence. Their grievances and disappointment brought the actor a lot of mental anguish, but he tried to prove to the girls that parting with their mother would not affect the strength of paternal love. Of course, not right away, the children understood this and resigned themselves to the new circumstances.
With his ex-wife, Barats tries to maintain normal human relations, as they continue to work together in the theater. Although it is still difficult at times to completely switch to a new format of relationships. The actor does not even know how he will react if Anna has another man, although he himself did not stay alone for long.
New love
With a native of Odessa - Anna Moiseeva - Leonid met in a common company during a trip to his homeland. Both at that moment were officially not free, although they were at the stage of completing their past relationship. Anna is much younger than her lover, so her family experience did not include such an impressive period as that of Leonid. But the girl admits that the first marriage was a "difficult experience" for her. Although Anna had a son in marriage, she managed to take the decisive step towards divorce and rework her negative experience of family life. Now she decided to do psychology herself and help other women in difficult situations.
After meeting, Anna and Leonid first talked on the phone for a long time, since they lived in different cities. Then rare meetings began, and a romance broke out, giving the actor a whole range of unforgettable feelings and emotions. The lovers have been together for several years, and Leonid does not hide that he is seriously thinking about a second marriage. Bad experiences did not discourage him from having a family. Barats does not consider himself to be in the category of people who like being alone. While he and Anna still live far from each other - in Kiev and Moscow. Of course, frequent separation is a good catalyst for a relationship. And at the same time, the actor does not like to return after performances to an empty apartment, where no one is waiting for him.
By the way, Anna is also a source of inspiration for her beloved. He gladly writes down her original and witty phrases, using them in scripts for future works.
Leonidas is very careful in his plans for the future. The experience of a divorce taught him never to renounce any event. Therefore, he simply hopes that their love story with Anna Moiseeva will have a happy continuation. And what - time will tell.
